Spring



May 27, 1941. o. w. LORYINI SPRING.

Filed Nov. 28, 1939 ATTORNEY5. 7

Patented May 27, 1941 UNITED STAT Es PATEN T, OFFICE Osmun W. Lorini, Yonkers, N. Y.

Y Application November 28, 1939, Serial No. 306,456-

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in spring constructions, and has for one of its objects the provision of springs so constructed that their action is controlled thereby providing an arrangement having numerous uses. My construction is such that the action of the spring. is delayed; in other words, the construction is such that sudden motion, as in an ordinary spring, is resisted, the spring, after distortion, returning to its initial shape slowly and uniformly. I i

More specifically my invention comprehends the provision of a spring which is combined with a retarding material in such a fashion that the sudden return of a distorted spring to its initial shape'is resisted, with the result that the action of the spring is slow and uniform; By properly proportioning the retarding material to the spring material one may obtain a spring which instead of restoring itself instantly to initial shape may take several hours to operate.

Such a construction is useful, for example, in time switches or other type of delayed action mechanism where more expensive equipment such as dashpots, clock mechanisms, etc. are now used.

I find that fiber, copper, lead, tin and various other materials may be used, with good results, in the practice of my invention, as well as alloys of some of these materials. For example, an

alloy composed of lead and tin gives excellent a helical coil spring 2 enclosed in a helical tube The wall thickness of the alloy tube will depend the return of this springassembly to initial shape I which is to be distorted by bending, as distintion, leaving considerable spring energy avail- .Figs. 1 and :2 show my invention applied to helical coil springs;

3, 4 and, 5 show my invention applied to helical springs which are to be deflected, the spring afterdeflection slowly returning. to its original shape; Fig. 4 is a section on the line l-l of Fig. 3;

Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 illustrate my invention applied to a flat spring; s

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. '10 illustrates another embodiment of my invention as applied to a helical extension spring;

Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate my invention as incorporated in spiral springs; and

Figs. 13 and 14 illustrate the application 0 my invention to torsion springs. Referring to the drawing in detail and first of all to the embodiment of my invention as illustrated in Fig. 1: In this figure I haveshown 4 of retarding material such: as above mentioned.

upon the desired action of the assembly, the slower the desired action of the spring, the thicker the wall of the alloy tube. As explained above,

is slow and uniform.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a construction which is the same in principle as the embodiment of the invention of Fig. 1. In this construction the spring 6 is hollow and within helices of this hollow spring is a helix 8 of the retarding material above referred to. When the hollow spring member 5 is compressed or extended its return to its original shape is resisted .by the hollow member or helix 8, as nowwill be understood.

Figs. 3 and i, Fig. 4 being a section, on the line tof Fig. 3, illustrate another application of my invention. This form of my invention is directed to the control of a helical spring guished from the torsional distortion of the springs of Figs. 1 and 2. The helical spring of these two figures is designated l0, and this spring is wrapped helically about a bar or rod I2 of any of the retarding materials referred to. It will be quite apparent that where this spring assembly is deflected or bent to the shape shown in Fig. 3 by the application of force thereto transverse of the axis of the spring and is released, instead of snapping back to its original shape, it will return to initial shape very slowly, retarded by the bar l2.

Fig. 5 shows a reversal of parts as compared with Fig. 3, the helically wound spring designated l4 extending through the bore of a tubel6 of retarding material.

Figs; 6 and '7, 8 and 8 show still further embodiments of the invention; With respect to Figs.-6 and 7, Fig. 7 being a section on the line l-'I of Fig. 6, it will be seen that I8 represents a fiat spring, bent to a U-shape, a rod 2llpassing through'its free ends. This rod is provided with limiting stops 22 Superimposed on this other and then released, the return of the spring v to its original shape will be slow and uniform,

' as compared with a snap action, due to the resistance offered by the retarding strip 24.

Fig. 8 shows in cross section thesame design as Figs. 6 and -7, except that a strip 24' -is employed having a cross-section differing from that of Fig. 6.

In Fig. 9 the spring I8 is enclosed in a tube 24" of retarding material.

Still another embodiment of my invention has been illustrated in Fig. 10. Referring to this figure of the drawing, 30 designates a rod mounted in fixed support 32 A coil spring 34 is mounted on this rod. 36 i a stop on the rod adjacent one end of the spring 34,, while 38 is an adjustment nut at the other end of the spring for adjusting the tension of the spring. 40 designates a retarding strip anchored at one end to a fixed member 42. The strip40 is bent or bowed,

its free end being received by the rod 30, and lyspring will return to its original shape with a slow uniform movement resisted by the strip 40, in-

I stead of with a snap action.

Figs. 11 and 12 show the application of my invention to spiral springs. In Fig. 11, 44 designates a spiral spring, its inner end being secured to a member 46 to be rotated. Extending along the outside of this spring in Fig. 11 is a retarding strip 48, the inner end of which is secured to the member 46, its outer end'being attached to the outer end of the spring, as seen at 50., Unwinding of this spring, as will be apparent, is slow and uniform, due to the resistance of the retarding strip 48.

In Fig. 12 I illustrate a similar construction except'that' the strip 48' is on the inside of the spring 44, instead of along the outside, as in Fig.-11.

, Fig. 14 illustrates the same idea,- 53 being a" tube of spring metal through which passes a rod of retarding material. The tube and rod are bent at the ends, as before, and when the spring metal tube is twisted and released its return to normal is resisted by the bar 58.

It will be apparent from all of the foregoing that my invention provides a spring construction in which the return of the spring to its initial shape after distortion is slow and uniform, instead of the snap action of the usual spring. While I have illustrated several embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I have not'attempted to exhaust the possibilities of my invention in this respect, the invention being capable of incorporationin other forms within the purview of my invention What I claim is:

l. A spring construction comprising in combination a spring wound in torsion and an inelastic retarding element for controlling the unwinding of the spring, the retarding element intermediate its ends being free of attachment to the spring. v

2. A spring construction comprising in combination a spring wound in torsion and a lead tin alloy retarding member therefor, the spring {and retarding member being free of attachment bination a coil spring wound in torsion and a lead tin alloy coil connected at one end to the spring but otherwise free of attachment thereto,

for controlling unwinding of the spring.

OSMUN W. LORINI. 

